Rating: PG-13 for language and violence
Disclaimer: All Marvel characters belong to Marvel. All non-Marvel characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story.
Athena clung to Bobby for dear life. She was so afraid that if she let go of him, she would find that this had all been a dream. She didn't know when she had ever been so happy. She knew she and Bobby would never be apart, and that their boys would have a father forever. She smiled as she thought about the boys. They would be so happy about this.
Mac was already attached to Bobby, and Robbie was starting to warm up to him. The problem with Robbie was just that he was so protective of Athena. Robbie was used to watching out for his mom. He was accustomed to not having to share her attention with anyone except Mac. Still, Athena thought that Robbie was starting to come around.
"Bobby, let's get married now. Tonight," Athena whispered in his ear.
"Tonight? Are you sure you wouldn't rather wait for a big church wedding?" Bobby asked, smiling.
"Bobby, right now this seems like paradise, but we don't know how long it will last. It could all fall apart tomorrow. I still want to send the boys to Mishka. They'll be safe with her. If we get married tonight, we can send the boys to Nashville immediately after the wedding."
"I think you're right. The sooner the boys are away from danger, the more I'll be able to concentrate on more entertaining things." Bobby smiled devilishly.
"Good, then tonight it is. You go and find Amanda. I have to talk to Jamar." Athena said, kissing Bobby quickly.
"Jamar?" Bobby seemed confused.
"Yeah, he and Jonas are the closest things I have to brothers. Since Jonas isn't here and I don't have a dad, that just leaves Jamar." Athena smiled brilliantly, and gave Bobby a look that said he should understand everything now.
"Huh?" he asked more confused than ever.
"I need Jamar to give me away." Athena called just before disappearing down the path.
Snowbaby
Ymela looks at Jonas, then gets up from the bed; Grendler and Fryker move to give her some room. Ymela picks up the globe from the dragon claw stand and puts it away back where it belongs. She kisses the tip of her fingers, and gently touches the hologram of her dead husband. The hologram of her husband smiles, then disappears. Ymela closes up the desk and walks over to Jonas, feeling a bit calmer.
"How long has it been? From what I can see in your eyes, many things have happened. Are you certain that you are ready to go into the Nightmare Realm? There is so much anger and hatred inside you that I don't think you should go. Maybe someone else should go in your place."
Jonas face turns into a frown, and he moves closer to Ymela.
"Twenty years have gone by. I have lost all I have but my thirst for revenge... and you hold the only way for me to extract it on those who deserve it." Jonas looked in to Ymela's eyes. "Don't dare to take that away from me; YOU still have parts of your world left... the Dragon Realm is all but destroyed." Jonas slammed his fist into the floor. "NOW OPEN THE GATE!" his eyes clearly displayed a challenge.
"My lord, calm down..." Grendler interrupted. "she is one of the..." Jonas grabbed him by the neck.
"Do not question..." Jonas quickly let go of him... his eyes went dark and he was startled.
"Dragon never fights dragon." he whispered..."What have I become?"
"You are becoming what you have hunted for so long. Allowing your hatred and thirst for revenge to consume you. If you do not step from this path, you will become a nightmare as well. I cannot allow you to enter into the Nightmare Realm. Otherwise, you will become the new ruler and all will be lost. I will lay down my life in order to stop you from this insanity." Ymela stated, her eyes flashing with an inner fire, and her wings opening up.
"No, I will not fight you... but I have to enter the Nightmare Realm; it's part of the prophecy." Jonas said, backing away and taking a defensive stand.
"I can feel in what I have left of my heart that Sammi needs me... Please, there must be a way." Jonas held up his hand and reached out for Ymela.
"I want to say goodbye to her... what I have become could never be her husband again. I failed our children, and I failed her; please let me say goodbye."
Ymela stepped close to Jonas, placed her hands on either side of his face, and looked into his eyes. She looked beyond the hurt, the anger, the pain and the hatred into the very heart of his soul. She smiled at what she saw there, hidden underneath all of the anger, hatred and sorrow.
"Come with me, Jonas." Ymela said, taking him by the hand.
She led him up the stairs to her livingroom where the fire was burning bright. Jonas let her lead him, so disheartened, feeling that all hope was gone.
"I want you to sit right here to watch and remember, and I also want you to hold this." Ymela took a pair of tongs and pulled out a coal from the fire.
"Hold this, you must do what you can to not let it go out. You must let the hatred, anger and desire for revenge leave; or this ember, which is symbolic of the hope and love you have still inside, will go out forever. It will burn you, but you must do this for your sake and Sammi's!!!"
Then with a motion of her hand, Ymela caused the past to reveal itself inside the flame, all that has happened ever since he and Sammi first met, as well as Vision X. Everything that has happened up until the present.
"Remember, don't let the ember go out," Ymela whispered.
Dreamweaver and Admiral
Hope is a fragile gift that is easily broken. Without hope, there is no chance of victory. When hate and anger exist, there is no hope nor love. Without love and hope, darkness reigns supreme.
Amanda remembered reading that passage in the crystal castle. She thought it was foolish when she read it, but now understood its importance. Anon had been destroyed by her hate. Sammi was broken when Sinister took her hope away. Hope was the key to their survival, whether Vision X and the X-Men knew it or not. Amanda prayed that she could make the others see that.
Amanda decided to find Charles to tell him what had happened to her. If their love was to survive, he needed to know the truth. Using her power, Amanda teleported to his room. When she got there, she saw Charles, Scott, Jean (who had appeared last night), Logan., Storm, Rogue, and Magneto all watching TV. When she moved closer, she saw what they were watching and cursed herself for not thinking about it sooner. Right in front of her, the X-Men were watching the X-Men movie.
Thank Heaven Victor isn't here to see the fight scene on the Statue of Liberty, she thought.
At that moment Victor walked in with Kat just in time to see that particular scene. He froze for a few seconds, then joined the rest to watch the end. Kat looked at Amanda and shrugged, and went to find her mother. When the movie was finished, all the occupants turned to Amanda, who looked like she wanted to run.
I think I have a lot of explaining to do, Amanda thought.
A.C.
"Do you think she will be able to handle her powers?" asked a voice.
"I do not know. She is different from the others. With the help of her dragon protectors, she may have the wisdom the others that were blessed with the gifts lacked." another voice replied.
"She seems to have let go of the hate. She is one of the few who have. What if she is the only one to do it? The others must all let go, or she will..."
"She will be destroyed by Anon. Yes, I know. Anon has been so consumed by the darkness that she needs it to survive. She has infected two of Vision X with her darkness. She will use their darkness to destroy Amanda. If she can get the others, all is lost." informed the second voice.
"Why must Amanda face Anon on her own? Wouldn't she have a better chance of victory with them?"
"The others must defeat a greater evil. They can help Amanda, but only she must face Anon in the final battle. The others are needed for the other monster." explained the second voice.
"How can she win? She cannot kill Anon, or she becomes Anon."
"She will find victory in the hands of defeat, and the arms of compassion."
"I hope the others are strong enough to face that other creature. If they don't, it will kill Amanda. She cannot defeat her own creation."
"She knows it, and so will they. The finality of this battle is already written. It is up to them to finish it." stated the second voice.
A.C.
Amanda didn't know what to do, so she reached out to the closest Vision X member... which was Ryan.
/Ryan, HELP! They're watching the MOVIE!/ Amanda sent telepathically.
Ryan was down the hall, and came running at the message. She came into the room and saw everyone looking at Amanda. Ryan grabbed her arm and said, "Amanda, I need your help with the Wedding."
"Oh, OK." Amanda said as she went running out of the room with Ryan. When they got outside, Amanda said, "Thanks, I was about to become a dead Fearless Leader."
Ryan laughed and said, "No problem. Now come on... we need to prepare for this wedding."
Jubilee_79
Sinister sat upon his throne in the nightmare realm, and began to think about how it all began... about his quest to create a perfect, new breed of mutants; his mutants. When Sinister had created Vision X, he thought that he had finally reached his goal... but most of them had proven to be disappointments.
They are disappointments which must soon be rectified if my goal is to be reached, he thought to himself.
Sinister's thoughts drifted to his first meeting with Anon; However, she hadn't been known as Anon then...
It was a fluke...one chance in a million which Sinister would surely never have again. When he had created his plans to capture the elusive Gateway, never in his wildest dreams did it ever occur to Sinister exactly what power was truly within his reach.
It had been a stormy evening...Sinister and his minions had traced Gateway's whereabouts to a point within a hidden, underground cavern, deep within the mysterious depths of the Malaysian Rainforest.
They had caught Gateway unawares, something which hardly ever happened. Before Gateway had a chance to react, Sinister had clasped the dreaded x-factor dampening device around his neck. There was nothing that Gateway could do.
Sinister smiled an evil smile; at last, he could put his devious plans into effect. Just then, the cavern was filled with a horrific sound, like that of a thousand high pitched metal wind chimes being tossed around in a hurricane.
Sinister's minions scattered and ran, then fell to the ground, covering their ears in pain. The dreadful sound was getting louder by the moment. Gateway sat on the ground; a single glistening tear in the corner of one eye was the only sign of despair on his mysterious face.
"Let go of my son, or face my vengeance, evil one!" a voice made of a thousand silver chimes pierced the air.
Sinister smiled. So, this is Gateway's mother...I had heard rumors, but had never suspected them to be true. She is very powerful, and will make an excellent addition to my crew. Now, how to capture her? he thought. An idea formed in his mind.
From the legends he had come across, this being was out of the ordinary. She was made from energy rather than flesh and blood; she could transcend space and time, was said to possess telepathy and a great deal of other powerful gifts, and was perhaps the oldest being in creation. This wondrous creature did however have a weakness... as all energy, she had low points and needed to recharge every now and then.
Sinister smiled as he realized what the underground cavern really was. It was a recuperating chamber for the creature. Sinister's eyes glowed evilly; he knew that she must be weak, and he would do his best to weaken her even more.
"Everyone, get off of the ground, NOW!" He shouted to his minions.
They complied, still covering their ears.
"Start shooting everything you've got at the walls and ceiling of the cavern...NOW!" he ordered next.
Sinister's minions drew their weapons, and began firing. The walls of the chamber began vibrating; rock and debris falling away to reveal a metallic structure underneath. Sinister smiled again... if they could damage the structure, the creature was sure to be his.
"KEEP FIRING! FIRE AT THE METAL STRUCTURE!" shouted Sinister. He too drew his weapon and began firing.
The chamber shuddered, as if in pain. Then a thunderous chiming sound was heard, echoing throughout the cavern.
"Cease and Desist, evil one! I will not allow you to complete your mission!" said the voice.
Two of Sinister's minions cried out in pain as a sparkling cloud of white energy swooped down upon them, melting their weapons and flinging them through the air. They crashed into a metal wall with a sickening thud, then slid to the ground unconscious. The others stopped firing and considered retreating, but one look into the eyes of Sinister convinced them to continue. Sinister narrowed his eyes... the creature was weakening, he was sure of it.
/Just a little longer, and we'll have her.../ he thought, as he continued firing at the metallic wall.
A creaking sound was heard... and a crack in one of the walls appeared. Sinister ordered his men to fire upon that wall. The crack widened, and more cracks appeared. A piece of the wall opened up to reveal a small chamber; inside was a metal capsule.
Sinister knew what it contained. With the destruction of the Cavern, the creature had no choice but to retreat into the capsule to survive. She couldn't survive without it in her weakened state. Sinister knew he had her. Then the cavern began to fall apart. Sinister turned to Gateway.
"You no longer have a choice. If you wish your mother to survive, you must work for me. Teleport us all out of here, NOW!"
Gateway lowered his head and closed his eyes... in a flash of light, they all disappeared just as the rest of the cavern's ceiling caved in, right where they'd been standing.
~Sinister's Lair, two weeks later~
Sinister's eyes glowed as he surveyed his finest creation. It had taken two weeks to find the necessary materials, and to build it, but it was finally complete. With the help of Gateway, Sinister was able to find out more about the wondrous creature he had been fortunate to capture. She was Anon, The Listener; Guardian of Earth and Pure Emotion. It was the pure emotions which kept her alive and good.
Sinister now knew the perfect way to weaken her and turn her. He created a physical body which would not only contain her, but would also feed her only negative energy. She would never be the same again. And as only he knew how to maintain the body, Anon would be forever a slave to Sinister.
In an energy dampening room, Sinister opened up the metal capsule to which Anon had been confined. She was too weak to fight, and Sinister drew her energy into the body. One scream of terror and pain, and it was over... or had it just begun? The new Anon opened her Silver Glowing eyes, then raised herself into a sitting position. She surveyed the sharp silver fur which covered her, and knew things would never be the same.
Sinister smiled at the memories. And soon I will have the rest of them in my power, he thought.
"It's just a matter of time," he said out loud.
Unknown to him, Anon was watching from the shadows.
Yes, father... It's only a matter of time... just a matter of time, she thought to herself.
Rainfall
Ryan and Amanda were in the middle of planning Athena and Bobby's wedding, when Victor came in to find Kat. He had become quite the father figure with Kat. Ryan was so proud of him. She watched him pick her up and swing her around. Kat squealed with delight and giggled.
"He is really good with her," Amanda said as she noticed Ryan's attention drifting to Victor.
"I can't believe he is really back." Ryan said.
Victor walked over with Kat. He had been such a great father to her in the last few days. Kat was so in love with her poppa. All she talked about all day was "my poppa" this, and "my poppa" that.
"So... when are we going to be planning your wedding?" Amanda asked with a mischievous grin.
"When he asks me." Ryan smiled back.
Victor froze when he heard what Ryan said. He had never thought of marriage before. It all made sense though... he loved her, and she loved him. They also had a daughter now, and he wanted Kat to have his last name. Now he was frozen, and didn't know what to do. True, Ryan wanted to marry him, but did he want to go that route? They had just gotten back together, and things where still shaky with them.
Le Fae
Leilee bounced over to the rest of the girls. "Wassup, yo?"
Ryan laughed at her. "Wassup, YO?" she asked.
Leilee grinned. "It's a South Philly thing."
Amanda grinned. "We're planning the wedding."
Leilee's eyes lit up. "I'll do music! I can play the bridal march on the piano!"
Ryan grinned. "Good idea!"
Leilee smiled. "I have all the latest songs too, from work. I even have the new Britney Spears song, from choreographing the video."
Amanda laughed. "Now that that's taken care of, what else do we need to take care of?"
The three girls put their heads together and finished planning the wedding.
Leilee
Athena set out in search of Jamar. She looked everywhere, but couldn't find him. She was starting to panic... she couldn't get married without someone to give her away!
"JJJJJAAAAAMMMMMAAAAARRRRR!!!!! Where are you, I need you! Please come here, now!" Athena shouted exhaustedly into the air.
Tired, she decided to just sit and catch her breath a minute.
Snowbaby
Maggie always seemed to find herself on the outside looking in. It wasn't that she wanted things to work out that way, they just did. She sighed a little as she blew a long black lock of hair out of her face. It only bothered her at times like these. She searched around and spotted her guitar case sitting against one of the trees. Now there was an old friend.
Her music never left her. It never made promises that it never meant to keep. No matter how mad she was, it always welcomed her like an old friend. She plucked her guitar out and strummed it a few times. Her fingers found familiar notches and strummed a country song. She was feeling a little melancholy, so it suited her. She shut her eyes and sang the lyrics. She was so lost in the music that she never noticed the soft tread of someone approaching her.
Logan heard the sound of music, so he followed it. He saw Maggie sitting by one of the trees and decided to listen to her. Maybe we can talk when she is done, he thought. As he listened, Logan became mesmerized by the song. He stood next to the tree and just listened as the melody and the words ran through him.
Maggie let the last threads of the music die away. For a moment she just sat and let the final chords flow through her. That's when she noticed her father standing there. She wasn't sure what to do about him, or the fact that he really and truly was not at fault for what happened to her mother. To say the least, she felt awkward around him and the others.
"Hey," she looked up him.
"Hey, darlin'. That was beautiful. Can we talk?" Logan said, waiting for her answer before he sat down.
She shifted a little, and absently strummed her guitar.
"Sure," she glanced at him from under her eyelashes.
She could see how her mother would have been attracted to him. His eyes were intense. It was almost as if he were trying to look right through a person.
"What are we going to talk about? Music, weather, or sports?" She felt the knot of tension tighten. She was trying to pick a fight with him. She was just feeling defensive.
Logan could tell that she was trying to goad him, but he didn't want to fight... not with his daughter. He had already done that once, and didn't feel like doing it again. He sat down next to her.
Looking at her, he said, "I want to talk about you and me. I wanted you to know that if I had known about your mother, or you, or Sammi, I would have done everything in my power to protect you. I would have moved heaven and earth to find you. I just wanted you to know that, no matter what, I'll always be there for you." He finished, close to tears.
Maggie had to blink. This wasn't what she expected from him.
"So, what happens now?" She asked him with a tight voice. "Do I fall into yours arms and just start calling ya daddy? Better yet, are you going to start tucking me into bed at night?" her breath was coming hard and rapid. She looked away from him and stared out at the beautiful water. "I used to want that more than anything else in the world." She told him in a soft voice. "I guess things like that aren't meant for people like us."
Logan was taken back a little. He didn't expect her to accept him as fast as Sammi did, but she was trying to push him away. And as he looked at her, he realized that she was like him; he pushed people away so he wouldn't hurt them. But she was pushing him away because she didn't want to get hurt. The fact that she thought that he would hurt her, stabbed him in the gut. And out of that gut reaction, he slowly put his arm around her shoulders to pull her into a hug.
Maggie struggled a little when Logan wrapped his arms around her. She was too used to taking care of things herself. She had a good life with her mother, but there were times that it was just plain hard. She learned not to bother Mom with trivial things. She learned to be strong. Now here was the one man that could make everything all right. Yet she was afraid.
She was afraid that he would be taken from her too, and she would be left again... Wrapped up in her own pain. She just wasn't sure yet if she could trust him or any of the others. Still, it was so nice being wrapped in a pair of strong arms. He smelled of his favorite cigars and ocean water. Slowly Maggie relaxed and tentatively wrapped her arms around him.
/Oh, God if you take him in the next breath, please let me have this second./ She thought to herself.
As Logan hugged her, he thought of everything he had missed with her and Sammi.
"I promised your sister that no matter what, I would be there for her... and I promise that to you." He thought as he hugged her, but he didn't realize that he said it out loud and that Maggie heard him.
"Please make me no promises," Maggie leaned back and looked into his eyes. "Promises are made to be broken. Okay?" she seemed to search for a word, "Dad?"
Logan saw the hurt in her eyes and said, "Alright. Just know that I'll protect you with every bit I have, always."
Maggie swallowed hard and read the truth in his eyes and scent. For once thankful of her heightened senses. "So what now?" She dabbed at her eyes, hoping that he didn't notice and drawing on what little of her control that she had left.
"Well, I don't know. I'm new at this. With Sammi she just accepted it. But I know you're not Sammi, and you handle things differently. So Maybe we should take this one step at a time?" He asked.
"Who is Sammi?" Maggie asked, her confusion coloring her voice.
Logan looked at her... he had forgotten that she didn't know who Sammi is, or was. He cleared his throat.
"Well, You know that girl at the mall? That's Sammi. She's my daughter."
Oh sh**, this wasn't something that she had expected.
"You mean the one that disappeared?" Maggie could only stare at him with wide eyes. This meant that she had family. She wasn't alone. "Tell me about her, and what happened again," Maggie demanded.
Logan was taken back by her reaction.
"What do you mean the one that disappeared? Did you know?" He asked, confused.
"I heard someone talking about some chick disappearing. There are so many people around here, I have a had time remembering all the names." then she muttered, "but I have the scents down pat."
"Yeah, That was Sammi. She and her husband both disappeared. She was pregnant. We saw her at the mall, but so far no one knows about Jonas -that's her husband-, or their baby." Logan said as he looked at Maggie for her reaction.
Maggie could feel the rage start to boil. Someone had dared to harm what was hers. They were going to pay, and in blood. She gracefully uncoiled from her father's protective arms.
"Well, I suggest that you get off your ass, old man.... and kick your buddies into gear. Someone messed around with the wrong family."
Logan looked up at the girl and smiled. /She's just as bad as Sammi./ He thought.
But he said,"You know, You and Sammi got one thing from me besides the eyes." He stood up as she looked at him, confused again.
"What?" Maggie asked.
"My temper." Logan said and started laughing, and continued. "I got into a fight with her when she first showed up. And you both have the same attitude towards family."
"Well when it's all that we Logan's have, what the hell do you expect?" She grinned at him, showing slightly pointed canines. "What do ya say, shrimp? Let's go get our family!" She stared down at him with a wicked look in her eyes, and arched one fine eyebrow at him. "Or shall I get someone to find ya a rocking chair?"
Lady_Yann & Jubilee_79
Maggie and Logan headed for the house to find the Professor, and see when they were going after Sammi. But as they were walking, Jubilee came bounding up to them.
"Where you goin', Wolvie?" Jubilee asked, looking at Maggie and him.
"Goin' to see Chuck. We want to find out when we're all goin' after Sammi." Logan said.
"Yeah, We're going to get my sister back." Maggie stated, and continued, "And make that creep pay for hurting her."
Jubilee saw that she was getting mad and put a hand on the girl's shoulder.
"I know we'll get Sammi back, don't worry. But first, I need your help."
Maggie looked skeptically at Jubilee and asked,"With what?"
Jubilee laughed.
"With some pranks for Bobby and Athena. They're getting married before we leave."
Maggie was still unsure.
Logan looked at her and said,"Its ok. Go have some fun. Its going to be a hard fight."
"Maggie looked at him and said, "I guess. I can help."
Jubilee started bouncing up and down and said,"COOLIO!" She grabbed Maggie's hand and said, "Come on." And they took off towards Bobby and Athena's bungalow.
Jubilee_79